


Dark-Addled

by LiterallyThePresident



Series: Connection [5]
Category: Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Genre: Ace is captured but it’s over quickly, Dan and Marucho make a minor appearance, Vestals don’t sleep, they get their energy from the sun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:01:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21800590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiterallyThePresident/pseuds/LiterallyThePresident
Summary: Ace is trapped in the dark, and Shun saves him
Relationships: Ace Grit & Kazami Shun
Series: Connection [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1566988
Comments: 2
Kudos: 59





	Dark-Addled

“Ace?” a concerned whisper roused him from the half-unconscious state he’d been falling into, “Ace, can you hear me?” 

“Who...Shun...?” he croaked weakly, drained from days without sun. His capture had come as a surprise, as the perpetrators were simple Palace soldiers looking for a quick buck. Unimpressive, yet effective. Especially when it came to their transport cells. No sunlight. No sun lamps. Nothing to keep Ace going. For the first time, he envied the humans and their self-sustainability. To not have to rely on outside sources for energy must be so nice. To be able to stay alert even in long periods of total darkness sounded like something out of a fantasy novel, and yet. 

“It’s okay.” it  _ was _ Shun, his tense voice once again pulling Ace from his stream of consciousness, “It’s okay, I’m here. The guards are unconscious, it’s safe.”

“Safe.” Ace echoed, slumping further against the wall. He was safe. Shun was here, and that meant he was safe. How long had he been trapped here? It must have been days if he felt this bad. He heard the light rattling of a lock pick, the scrape of the cell door against the rough transport floor, and then Shun’s warm hand was on his face, tilting it to get a better look at him. Ace watched him through slitted eyes, idly wondering why the human looked so upset. It was so dark, could he even see?

“Did they hurt you?” Shun asked quietly, something hard and unforgiving in his tone, and Ace managed a clumsy shake of his head.

“Just weak...” he tried to pat his hand, but his arm wouldn’t obey him, “No sun in here...” 

“No...? Ah. No sunlight, no energy, right.” Shun said, the hard edge fading from his voice only slightly, “How can I help?”

“Open a window?” Ace tried to keep his eyes open, but it was difficult when they were so heavy, “I just need some daylight, or a sun lamp or three.”

“I can do that.” Shun said immediately, “It’s night now, but there are sun lamps at the Base. The others were searching for you, but I contacted them as soon as I saw you. They’ll be waiting with medical supplies. Can you walk?” Ace tried, he really did, but his legs wouldn’t move. He’d been in the dark for days, slowly being sapped of his energy. It was a miracle he could even speak. Shun seemed to sense his unspoken answer, and with a small murmur of reassurance, he slid his arms under Ace and lifted him. Ace felt vertigo as the air rushed past his ears, but he managed to keep his stomach under control. He slung a weak arm over Shun’s shoulders, the closest he could get to a firm grip, and Shun made sure he was held securely before turning and striding out of the cell with purpose. 

The moonlight was dim, twin half-moons in the sky, but after days of darkness even that slight light forced him to hide his eyes against Shun’s jacket. Shun murmured a quiet assurance to him, but his pace did speed up slightly. With his ear to Shun’s chest, Ace felt more than heard the steady beat of his hearts. Normally the sound of a heartsbeat was soothing to him, but for some reason Shun’s… wasn’t. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to put his finger on why the sound made him feel uneasy. 

One-two. One-two. One-two.

Shun’s heartsbeat sounded strange, he realized distantly. It sounded... uneven. Too slow, too quiet. Did Shun have a cardiac condition that he hadn’t mentioned? Concerned, he mustered up all his strength to speak.

“S’wrong with your heartsbeat...?” he managed drowsily into Shun’s shoulder, and he felt him tilt his head slightly. 

“What do you mean?” Shun asked, moving quiet as a cloud through the empty forest. They met no resistance on their way, and Ace distantly wondered what Shun had done with all the soldiers. He probably didn’t want to know. He was so tired, but worry made him fight against it a few moments longer. 

“S’weird...” he felt the world around him gradually growing darker, his fight against unconsciousness failing slowly but surely, “You okay? D’you need... medical...”

The world went black before he could finish. 

—-

He woke up in the Resistance Base medical bay, feeling energized and renewed with a sun lamp overhead and an open window letting in a crisp morning breeze. He took a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill his stagnant lungs. The sound drew a flash of motion, and then Mira was leaning over him with a relieved smile.

“Ace.” she breathed, her hand coming up to cup his face, “Thank the stars you’re alright.”

“I… made it?” he asked, slowly becoming aware of a weight on his chest, but not wanting to look away from Mira to see what it was, “Did... Did Shun get me out?”

“Yeah.” she smiled, “Yeah, he did. Just in time, too. Any longer and...” she didn’t seem to want to finish that sentence, and Ace felt a chill. Her gaze trailed down to his chest, and he followed it with curious eyes. The weight on his chest turned out to be Marucho, sound asleep atop him with his fingers curled into Ace’s shirt. A quick glance around showed Dan snoring away as well, cuddling Ace’s leg like a pillow in a rather ridiculous way. Baron was at his side as well, setting aside one of those dumb Earth romance novels Dan had lent him in order to smile brightly at Ace. 

“You’re awake!” he whispered as loudly as he could get away with without waking the humans, “How are you feeling? We have juice if you need it. We finally got you down to one sun lamp just yesterday, so you’re in the green. Do you feel dizzy? Nauseous? Need some food?”

“I’m okay.” he waved with a fond smile, grateful to have control of his limbs again, “All I really needed was some sun.”

“Juice wouldn’t hurt, though.” Shun’s voice from his other side made him jump, and he whipped his head around to see him. Shun was still awake for some reason, smiling sleepily at him with his head resting on his fist, “Hey you.” he murmured. 

“Hey...” Ace blinked, “Why aren’t you asleep?”

“Wanted to make sure you’d be okay.” he said with a shrug, “You really worried us.”

“Wasn’t my fault.” he grumbled, “Not like I wanted to get ambushed.” Shun let out a small chuckle.

“I know.” he smiled, “But we still worry.”

“Well... I’m fine now.” he sighed, “Some sun and rest and I’m good as new. Thank you, for saving me. I really owe you.”

“Repay him by staying in bed for at least another few hours to really soak up the light.” Mira said sternly, adjusting said light so it wasn’t shining directly into his eyes, “No arguments.” Ace groaned quietly, and Shun grinned. 

“Bet you don’t think sleep is so bad now, huh?” he teased, and Ace gave him a half-hearted glare. 

“Hey, at least when I fall unconscious in a dark room, I don’t hallucinate.” he huffed, “And I have more time in the day to do things than you, so ha.”

“So ha, huh? You must really be tired if that’s the best you’ve got.” Shun laughed, but it was cut off by a yawn, despite his attempt to hide it. Ace recognized it as an involuntary action signifying sleepiness.  _ Tired, indeed  _ he thought smugly.

“Go to sleep, idiot.” he said, although his words held more fondness than heat, a selfish part of him pleased that his friends cared so much about him, “I’ll be okay.”

“You sure?” he teased, though he settled back to lean against Baron, who easily shifted to make himself a more comfy pillow, “Not gonna run off and get captured again?”

“Oh, we won’t let that happen.” Mira laughed, and there was just enough of an edge to her voice that Ace swallowed audibly, “Right, Baron?”

“Right.” Baron grinned, “So you can sleep now, Master Shun. Ace’ll be fine.” Shun nodded, and with a final glance at Ace he rested his head on Baron’s shoulder and closed his eyes, going limp a moment later. Ace wasn’t sure if he’d ever get used to that, watching his friends all but deactivate. But Baron didn’t seem concerned, only pulling Shun closer like a favored plush, and Mira gave them both a soft smile before turning her attention to Ace’s vitals. She seemed content to busy herself with the work, just enjoying the company. Ace couldn’t say he disagreed. 

It was only then that he remembered the strange cadence of Shun’s heartsbeat as he carried him to safety, and he cursed himself for not asking about it while Shun was awake. He relaxed into the mattress with a resigned sigh, vowing to question Shun about it later. He wouldn’t bring it up with the others, not yet. They would only worry, and if had only been a figment of Ace’s dark-addled mind, they would tease. 

It was probably nothing, but still... at the time, it had almost sounded like Shun only had one heart.


End file.
